Tag: LGBT youth

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Voguing Viral Video Star Featured In American Apparel Ad

Since Brendan Jordon stole the spotlight in the background of an October Las Vegas news report, he has become a bona fide viral video celeb.

Appearances on Queen Latifah’s talk show and visits to RuPaul’s Drag Race have now led Jordan to his true calling – fashion model.

Check the new ad from American Apparel.  Buzzfeed shares:

Brendan is from Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s half Peruvan (his dad was born and raised in Peru) and he learned Spanish from his extended family that helped care for him. He enjoys taking photos, shopping and collecting Disney memorabilia.

In the future Brendan hopes to have his own TV show and design a clothing line.

His biggest inspirations are his great grandmother Lucy and Lady Gaga. we were inspired by Brendan after seeing his fearless act of spontaneity and applaud his efforts with the LGBTQ community.

His favorite styles of ours include the Clear PVC Circle Skirt and anything high-waisted.

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A Mother Asks The Methodist Church To Stop Pushing People Away

A mother who lost her gay son to suicide after being shamed by a United Methodist Church youth director talks on the “gone too soon” journey of her son, and wonders what the true mission of a church is – to help create healthy relationships with Christ or create barriers that push people away from Christ?

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Ali Forney Center’s Annual Benefit Dinner – October 24, 2014

This year’s Annual Benefit Dinner for The Ali Forney Center will be held on October 24, 2014, at Capitale in New York City.

The evening includes a cocktail reception, an extensive silent auction, live auction, performances by Lea DeLaria and Daniel J. Watts and more.

The mission of the Ali Forney Center is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.

However, this work cannot be done alone. The Center needs your help and support to make NYC a safer place for homeless LGBT youth.

This is one of the Center’s biggest fund-raising events of the year. If in NYC, please consider attending; or if not able to attend, perhaps make a donation or donate something for the silent auction.

For ticket info, click here.

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Atlanta: Daniel Pierce thanks his supporters at Lost-N-Found open house

Executive Director Rick Westbrook of Lost-N-Found, an Atlanta organization that cares for homeless LGBT youth, introduces 19-year-old Daniel Pierce.

Pierce’s video documenting the physical and verbal abuse he suffered at the hands of his family as he came out went viral two weeks ago. The reaction to the video was so strong, it lead to the creation of a crowd funding campaign to help him with living expenses since he was thrown out of his home. With a goal of $2,000, the campaign raised over $94,000 in days.

Pierce has asked supporters to stop donating to the fund and divert their charitable donations to Lost-N-Found, the Atlanta group that cares for homeless LGBT youth and helped Pierce.

Pierce is also donating a portion of the money raised on his behalf to the homeless shelter.

Earlier this year the organization acquired a 7,000 square foot building to expand their shelter resources.

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Georgia: Young gay turned out by family directs donations to local homeless shelter

A Georgia man, Daniel Ashley Pierce, who’s video depicting physical abuse by family members during his coming out went viral, has seen a crowd-funding campaign set up in his name soar to almost $100,000 in funds to help him.

Now, Daniel has asked his friends to stop donating to the campaign and direct donations to an Atlanta-based LGBT homeless shelter.  From Daniel:

Thank you to everyone from around America and all over the world for your support in the past several days. This has been a rough time for me and I never imagined that so many people would show such overwhelming compassion and generosity.

[snip]

I’ve asked my friends to discontinue donations to the GoFundMe page, but if you would still like to give money and help the LGBTQ youth homeless crisis, please visit the Lost-n-Found Youth website at www.Lost-n-Found.org for more information on how you can make a difference for the many other kids in the world like me.

Rick Westbrook, Executive Director for Lost-n-Found, says the organization has received approximately $10,000 in funds from Daniel’s request.

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Michigan: Legislation introduced to ban “ex-gay” therapy for minors

Michigan Democrat Rep. Adam Zemke has introduced legislation which would ban gay conversion therapy for minors in the state.

From MLive.com:

House Bill 5703 would amend Michigan’s mental health code to prohibit health professionals from attempting to change the sexual orientation of anyone under 18 years old.

“The evidence shows you cannot change sexual orientation, so the legislation was kind of a no-brainer,” Zemke said. “We want to make sure children cannot be exposed to situations that are emotionally harmful to them because of their parents’ beliefs or desires to try to change their orientation.”

In 2009, the American Psychological Association said that attempts to change sexual orientation are ineffective and can have harmful side effects including depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety.

Currently, California and New Jersey have laws on the books outlawing gay conversion therapy for minors.

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NYC: LGBT Rally for Homeless Youth on June 2nd

The National Coalition for the Homeless and the Ali Forney Center have joined together to launch the National Campaign for Youth Shelter, a collaboration that will build a grassroots campaign to demand a national response to youth homelessness.

On Monday, June 2nd the National Campaign for Youth Shelter will hold a rally in New York City to launch the campaign as a priority within the LGBT movement. LGBT youth are disproportionately over-represented in the homeless youth population, with as many as 40% of the nation’s homeless youth being LGBT, while only 5% of the overall youth population is LGBT.

Edith Windsor, David Mixner, Cathy Marino-Thomas, and Carl Siciliano are a few of the names announced as speakers for the event.

Currently, there are only approximately 4,000 youth shelter beds in the United States, yet as many as 500,000 unaccompanied youths experience homelessness each year.

(via the event’s Facebook page)

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Book: “Heal This Way” photographed by Tracey B. Wilson

Lady Gaga’s biggest fans share their emotional journey about coming out, bullying, thoughts of suicide, and the need for acceptance, in this new book.

Written by Lady Gaga’s biggest fans, and photographed by Tracey B.Wilson, Heal This Way: A Love Story is a compilation of photos, letters, and quotes from LGBT youth. The book shares the heroic stories of young adults being bullied, coming out of the closet, and thoughts of suicide; all while encouraging us to love each other.

Heal This Way: A Love Story is a teaching tool that starts a conversation between parents and their kids, or teachers and students about what it means to be gay, and about the effects of bullying.

A portion of the book’s sales benefit Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, providing services for at risk LGBT youth.

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Homeless Center Director Carl Siciliano on Phil Robertson debacle

Graphic via Memeographs

“When Phil Robertson and others condemn LGBT people in the name of Christ, they help create a climate where many religious parents condemn their LGBT children.

“The Ali Forney Center is inundated with youths from across the country who have been thrown out of their homes by religious parents who rejected them. Over 200,000 LGBT youths are enduring homelessness in the USA.

“LGBT youth will not be safe until more Christians follow the example of Jesus Christ, who never uttered a word in judgment or condemnation of LGBT people.”

– A Statement from Ali Forney Center Executive Director, Carl Siciliano, regarding Phil Robertson.

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California: 9th Circuit of Appeals upholds ban on “conversion therapy” for minors

Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed has the news:

A federal appeals court Thursday upheld California’s ban on therapy aimed at changing minors’ sexual orientation.

In a unanimous decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the law — the first of its kind in the country — was upheld as being within the legislature’s authority to pass. Parents wishing to employ such therapy with their children and professionals who employ “sexual orientation change effort” therapy.

New Jersey last week became the second state in the country to pass such a law.

The three-judge panel that heard the appeal of California’s law considered both free speech claims brought by the practitioners, associational claims brought by the parties, and claims about parents’ rights to raise their children. The judges found the law violated none of these provisions.